singing our baptism

as a worship planner, I strive to connect as much of the Christian life as possible over an extended period of time.  it's impossible to connect the full scope of Christian living on a week in, week out basis, so I have to find ways to highlight these themes over time so that a comprehensive expression is achieved.  the weekly rhythm of worship at Grace outlines the story of the Gospel—praise, renewal, commitment—and I pick scriptures, prayers, and songs that lend themselves logically to that gospel flow.

one example of this at work is the list of songs I use during the Lord's Supper.  I try to use songs that allow for both a variety of images and of expressions of what Communion means in the Christian Life: from reflecting on the cross to the wedding feast of the Lamb, and not just New Testament images but also Old Testament images.  these songs include explicit references to communion—City Hymns' "The Feast," Keith Getty's "Behold The Lamb"—and indirect references to feasting—Indelible Grace's "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah"—as well as meditating on the beauty of Christ—David Hampton's "Jesus I Am Resting."  since the Lord's Supper is served weekly at Grace, it is easier to cover a variety of songs and imagery than if it was served less often.

so when a Sunday comes that we have a baptism, I am presented with a slight difficulty since we have only 6-8 baptism Sundays in a year.  while many Protestant and Evangelical hymns and songs deal with communion explicitly, there are far fewer that deal with Baptism.  

do I believe that the sacrament of baptism is only effective when we sing a song about what we are doing? no, I believe that baptism itself is an effective image of the work of washing and filling of the Spirit.  but two things push me toward incorporating a regular set of baptism songs:

1. we live in an image and symbol driven world – the more biblical images that we can implant in a worshiper's vocabulary will allow them to express their faith in different seasons of life.  images of baptism are no less important than images of thanksgiving or repentance.  just as with Communion, I believe that it's important to incorporate the Old Testament connections with baptism (when was the last time you heard a song about circumcision?).  we do sing songs that reflect on the Covenant-Making and -Keeping God, which is why we sing "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" at most of our baptism services at Grace ("I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain...").
2. we need to reencounter our own baptism on a regular basis – in the same way as justification, baptism is not an event that has a one-time significance.  rather, it is a truth that points back to the plan of the Father when calling us as his children for all eternity ("Father Long Before Creation"), the work of the Son in his life, death, and resurrection, thus making our call as God's children complete ("Let Us Love And Sing And Wonder"), and the seal of the Spirit which makes the plan of the Father and the work of the Son effective in the life of faith in the heart of the believer ("Come Down O Love Divine").*  while important for all Christians, "remembering your baptism" is all the more important for those who were baptized as infants and have at best a photograph that allows them to remember the act of public baptism that took place so many years before.

every Sunday that we have a baptism, we are called to reflect upon our own baptism, but I believe we should remember our baptism more often than that.  by setting apart songs that we use in baptism liturgies, the images of baptism will hopefully be recalled to the mind/heart when they are incorporated into a liturgy without the sacrament itself being performed.

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*This Trinitarian observation on Baptism is thanks to James B. Torrance's Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace
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Appendix
1. I would be remiss to post about baptism and not include the text of the baptismal prayer from the French Reformed Church:

"Little child, for you Jesus Christ has come, he has fought, he has suffered.  For you he entered the shadow of Gethsemane and the horror of Calvary.  For you he uttered the cry "It is finished!"  For you he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and there he intercedes—for you, little child, even though you do not know it.  But in this way the word of the Gospel becomes true.  'We love him, because he first loved us.'"

This was recently turned into a board book called "At Your Baptism" by the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship.
2. The songs mentioned above are just a start of a list that can and should be a lot longer.  Please feel free to post other ideas here, and I will try to include a postscript at a later date with my own updated list.

Transfiguration Sunday

2013 Update - New Song Links
In the liturgical calendar of the Christian Church, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday is known as Transfiguration Sunday.  Falling between Christmas and Lent, the season of Epiphany focuses on the events of Jesus’ ministry and culminates in celebrating the Transfiguration, where Jesus’ divine glory was manifested to Peter, James, and John, marking the transition in Jesus’ life toward Jerusalem and the events of Holy Week.  This is an important Sunday as it gives worshipers the opportunity to behold Jesus’ glory before setting foot to the road of Lent and moving toward the cross and empty tomb.

Thematic reflection
Recorded in each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matt 17, Mark 9, Luke 9), the Transfiguration is where God revealed his glory in Jesus Christ upon a mountaintop, likely Mount Hermon.  God revealed his glory to Moses on Mount Sinai; Moses’ face continued to radiate God’s glory when he returned to the people at the foot of the mountain (Exod 24).  The Gospel texts intentionally connect Jesus’ actions with Moses’ when ascending the mountain, the main difference being that Moses merely reflects God’s glory while God’s glory pours out from Jesus.  Present with Christ at the Transfiguration were Moses and Elijah, men whose roles pointed toward their fulfillment in Christ.  The disciples also hear the voice of God, confirming that Jesus is God’s Son and that they should listen to him (Mark 9:7).  By appearing in his full divine glory, Jesus is identified as greater than Moses and Elijah and is confirmed to be the eternal Son of God.

Just as with observing Jesus’ Baptism at the start of Epiphany, it is important to ask how the Transfiguration is an important moment in Jesus’ life.  This is the penultimate revelation of Jesus’ divine nature that is celebrated in the liturgical calendar before the celebration of the Resurrection at Easter (the others being Christmas, Epiphany, and Baptism of our Lord).  It is also the fullest revelation of his pre-resurrection glory, the very same glory on display as the presently ascended Christ and that will be displayed when he returns.  To celebrate the Transfiguration is to worship Jesus in his full divine splendor.

What characterizes worship on this day when compared to other Sundays?
God’s glory is the primary focus of worship on this day, both how it was revealed in the Old and New Testament and also in how he displays it today in the church and in the world.  Part of observing Transfiguration Sunday is that worshipers today are remembering what the disciples witnessed with their own eyes as if we were present in the same way.  Responses to seeing God’s glory include awe, fear, and shame, so public worship should give voice to these responses.

Much of regular public worship has ties to the Transfiguration; while beholding God’s glory in the worship gathering, a similar mountaintop experience is evoked as the cares of daily living are seemingly left at the door.  But if this is the only result, then public worship fails.  Instead, beholding God’s glory should welcome the struggles of daily living and allow opportunities to bring all things under the love and care of God.

Another aspect to balance is the pivot from Epiphany to Lent, whether observed mid-week at Ash Wednesday or on the following Sunday.  Worshipers are celebrating the glory of Jesus with an eye toward his death and resurrection.  Lament over the sufferings Jesus endured on our behalf is proper but should result in joy and thanksgiving rather than wallowing in sorrow or self-pity.

In his song simply titled “The Transfiguration,” singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens reflects the attitude of worship at the Transfiguration:

Lost in the cloud, a voice: Have no fear! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Turn your ear! 
Lost in the cloud, a voice: Lamb of God! We draw near! 
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Son of God!

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Designing Worship
Below are provided a handful of resources to aid worship planners in designing worship that reflects the concerns of the Transfiguration.  For prayer texts, I recommend consulting the Book of Common Prayer, the Book of Common Worship, the Revised Common Lectionary, and the Worship Sourcebook.

Relevant Scripture passages that may be used for different liturgical readings (1):

• Gospel Accounts
• Matthew 17:1-9 (A)
• Mark 9:2-9 (B)
• Luke 9:28-36(37-43) (C)
• Related texts 
• Exodus 24:12-18 (A)
• Exodus 34:29-35 (C)
• 1 Kings 19:1-18 (WS)
• 2 Kings 2:1-12 (B)
• Psalm 2 (A)
• Psalm 50:1-6 (B)
• Psalm 99 (A/C)
• John 1:14
• 2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2 (C)
• 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (B)
• Hebrews 1:3
• 2 Peter 1:16-21 (A)
• 1 John 3:2 (WS)

(1) The primary sources for these texts are the Revised Common Lectionary (readings identified by year (A), (B), or (C)) and the Worship Sourcebook (WS).

Song suggestions that emphasize the themes of the Transfiguration:

• Service Music
• Gloria
• Doxology
• Trisagion
• Fernando Ortega
• Hymns
• *Christ Whose Glory Fills The Skies Cardiphonia post
• TH 398 LUX PRIMA
• TH 116 DIX (“For The Beauty”)
• Luke Morton MP3 Chart
• Brian Moss mp3 chart
• High Street Hymns mp3 Chord Chart Lead Sheet Piano Score
• Matthew Smith mp3 chart
• Castle Island Hymns mp3 chart
• Grace & Peace, Bowling Green mp3
• *Hail To The Lord’s Anointed
• Welcome Wagon mp3 leadsheet
• Indelible Grace mp3
• All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name
• Be Thou My Vision (C) - Matt 17:8
• Come Thou Almighty King - John 1:14
• Fairest Lord Jesus (B)
• Glorious Things Of Thee Are Spoken
• Kevin Twit
• Holy Holy Holy - Ps 99:3
• How Sweet The Name Of Jesus Sounds - 1 John 3:2
• Cardiphonia mp3 leadsheet
• Jesus I Am Resting - 2 Cor 3:15-18
• David Hampton mp3
• Jesus Is Lord – Getty/Townend
• Love Divine All Loves Excelling - 2 Cor 3:18
• TH 529 BEECHER
• Melody for "Here Is Love" leadsheet
• O Worship The King
• TH 2 LYONS
• Chris Tomlin (arr. with new chorus)
• Out Of My Bondage (Jesus I Come) - 1 John 3:2
• Greg Thompson
• The Lord Is King
• Nathan Partain mp3 leadsheet
• Choruses
• *Shine, Jesus, Shine – Graham Kendrick
• Beautiful Savior - Townend (2 Peter 1:19)
• Better Is One Day - M Redman
• God Of Wonders - Byrd/Hindalong
• Great Is The Lord - MW Smith & D Smith
• Holy Is The Lord - Tomlin
• How Great Is Our God - Tomlin
• Jesus Name Above All Names (John 1:14)
• Majesty - Hayford (2 Peter 1:17, Ps 99:9)
• Meekness and Majesty - Kendrick (2 Peter 1:16)
• Open The Eyes Of My Heart - P Baloche (2 Cor 4:6)
• We Fall Down - Tomlin
• You Are Holy - Byrd/Hindalong

*Songs with explicit focus upon Transfiguration and Epiphany

Other art

• "The Transfiguration" by Sufjan Stevens, from Seven Swans
• Lectionary art link 
• Fra Angelico
• Duccio (pictured above)
• Icon

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Example Liturgy

• Prelude (if you’re particularly daring) – “The Transfiguration” (Sufjan Stevens)
• Song of Entrance/Gathering into presence – “Open The Eyes Of My Heart” (P Baloche)
• Call To Worship – Psalm 99:1-3
• Prayer of Invocation
• Doxology or Gloria
• Songs of Praise – “Christ Whose Glory Fills The Skies” 
• Scripture Reading – Mark 9:2-9
• Confession of Sin
• Assurance of Pardon – 2 Cor 3:17-18
• Song of Confidence – “Jesus Is Lord” (Stuart Townend/Keith Getty)
• Sermon
• Offering/Anthem – “Hail To The Lord’s Anointed” (Welcome Wagon)
• Eucharist
• Song of Communion – “Jesus I Am Resting” (David Hampton
• Prayer of Intercession
• Song of Sending – “The Lord Is King” (Nathan Partain)
• Benediction – Num 6:24-26

calvin worship symposium 2012 reflections

Last week, I participated in the Calvin Worship Symposium in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  This year's topic was "When Life Is Prayer: The Psalms," and coincided with the release of a new Psalter entitled Psalms For All Seasons, intended for congregations to read, chant, pray, and sing the Psalms throughout the life of the church.

I have been aware of the annual conference for quite a while now through friends and mentors who regularly participate, but this was my first opportunity to make the trip.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect, flying to Michigan in the dead of winter.  Turns out, winter has been kind to the region so far, and allowed for easy traveling for the nearly 1800 participants from 30 countries.  The conference stretched over three days—Jan 26-28—with plenary talks, seminars, workshops, and many opportunities to worship in song, prayer, and sermon.

For Thursday's all-day seminar, I participated in "Tune My Heart To Sing Your Praise: The Re-tuned Hymn (and Psalm!) Movement in the Context of the Broader Culture," which brought together a panel of speakers that included Kevin Twit, Sandra McCracken, Isaac Wardell, and Bruce Benedict—hymn retuners in the States—as well as Eelco Vos, a retuner of the Genevan Psalter from the Netherlands.  The session was opened with an introduction by James K. Smith on the "Young, Restless, and Reformed," and why they hymns renewal movement taps into this spirit.  After that, Greg Scheer—Calvin music prof—led the seminar, having each member of the panel share their background in the movement, what inspires them to work with the hymn texts that they choose, and ask about the direction the movement seems to be headed.  As each speaker shared their experiences, we all sang together a song that they had written.  It was quite moving for me to hear many songs that I have been familiar with for the past decade be sung by a new yet enthusiastic set of voices; at one moment I found myself fighting back tears while attempting to sing "Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul" with the group.  Overall, I think it was a good introduction to the movement for people not familiar with it, as well as helpful critique from people on the outside looking in concerning the forward trajectory of the movement.

On Friday, I heard NT Wright on "Praying the Psalms: Personal, Pastoral, Theological, and Liturgical Reflections."  Thought provoking, though so rich that it was hard to digest in one hearing, not to mention that his English accent practically set my ears in a trance.

That afternoon, I attended two workshops.  The first was called "Singing Old Genevan Psalms in Very New Ways," led by Eelco Vos and the Psalms Project from the Netherlands (see above), a project which was born out of a desire to reach the youth in churches where Psalm singing was dying out.  They discussed the process of their project to rework many of the best melodies from the original Genevan Psalter from the 16th century.  It was a fascinating exercise in analyzing the original melodies for their positive and negative elements in regards to congregational singing today, and then retranslating them for 21st century singing.

The second workshop that I attended was "Does Worship Keep Your Understanding Of God Too Small? Insights From Ancient Constantinople About the Transcendent in Worship," led by Lester Ruth and Carrie Steenwyk.  It was a fascinating analysis of the worship space of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople in the 6th century, seeking to learn from the positive and negative results of their worship practices and how it can shape and critique our worship today.  This was a presentation of material that is going into the second volume of six that the Calvin Institute on Worship is publishing on historic worship.  The first is on worship in 4th century Jerusalem, which I am looking forward to reading this spring.  (the next day I got to have lunch with Lester Ruth, who is president of the Charles Wesley Socity. very interesting conversation at the table about Wesley's hymns and the current hymns renewal)

That night I participated in the "Psalms For All Seasons: A Festival Of Singing," in celebration of the publishing of the new Psalter.  Musicians from around the world led us through old and new settings of the Psalms.  Bruce Benedict (see above) played his version of Psalm 120, and had me and a couple other friends back him on the only truly folk rendition of the evening.  Check out a video of the entire concert here, or fast-forward to the 38:00 mark to hear our song.  And no, I haven't taken up glockenspiel as my primary instrument, yet.

Saturday morning, I heard another great plenary talk, this time from Walter Bruggemann on "Performing a Counter World: the Alternative Reality Offered by the Psalms for the Worlds We Inhabit," having a similar experience to the Friday plenary, minus the English accent.

I had a to catch a flight that afternoon, so I had to miss the other workshops and the closing worship service.

To sum up, this was a rich and renewing experience for me.  I got to hear a lot of great and challenging ideas, to sing with upwards of 900 people at some sessions, and to fellowship with old friends and get to know some new ones.  Oh, and I got a chance to sample the local antiquarian books and breweries.

harmony in worship

the sermon this Sunday at Grace will be the first of three on unity in the church. this always seems to be a relevant topic, especially when we look around and see a lack of unity throughout the body played out in the existence of denominations, within churches, and around the dinner table.

in my small group last night, we studied the last part of John 17, where Jesus is praying that we would be one in the same way that he and the Father are one. part of our discussion centered on the fact that we fail to individually to pray for unity in the church.

I was reminded that worship is one of the major dividing lines that display our disunity: music, liturgy, prayer, and preaching all reflect how we might disagree with what someone else thinks we should be doing in worship. in fact, the Protestant Reformation was sparked largely due to reasons of worship.

big or small, disputes in the church seem inevitable. rather than getting discouraged about the state of disunity in worship, let's take a look at a few areas in our worship that draw us together with the Body of Christ:

hymns
you may not realize it, but the hymns that we sing reflect a wide diversity historically and theologically. open nearly any hymnal and you will find hymns written by Charles Wesley, Robert Lowry, and Horatius Bonar, or a Methodist, a Baptist, and Scottish Presbyterian, repectively. theologically, each of these devout Christians may find points of disagreement, but we can still sing their hymns in the same service of worship because they all share the same faith in Christ's death and resurrection for us. somehow the text of the hymns that we sing are able to transcend theological boundaries.

liturgy
the form of our liturgy at Grace has many elements in common with many western church traditions other than our own, including Lutherans, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics. the parts may not all be in the same order, but you will find Scripture readings, congregational prayers, preaching, and the Lord's Supper in many Christian worship services.

creeds
one specific area that is perhaps the most explicit call to unity in a worship service is the use of creeds and confessions. every time we recite the Apostles' Creed in worship, we profess the same Orthodox truths of the faith that have been held since the early church. the Nicene Creed was written as a result of the first ecumenical church council in AD 325 in response to heresies that were causing disunity in the church. in fact, any creed or confession that you come across was written for the purpose of declaring the unity of belief shared by a large group of Christians.

so as we gather this Sunday and every Sunday to come, let us be encouraged by the fact that we gather to sing, pray, and speak with One Voice on account of our redemption in Christ.

flexibility in worship planning

As a church gathers to worship, the service is bound to take a certain shape. This shape is called the liturgy, or “work of the people.” Intentionally or not, most liturgies maintain a consistent form over time for a particular congregation. This is a good thing. Regular forms allow for a degree of dependability for worshipers, allowing for open communication in worship without the distraction of an always changing service structure.

At times, though, content demands an alternate form. A few weeks ago at Grace, Drew’s sermon looked at the narrative of the prophet Nathan confronting King David about his sin with Bathsheba. That Sunday, we expanded our time of confession of sin with a Litany of Penitence from the Book of Common Prayer.

Last Sunday, we extended the Lord’s Supper portion of the liturgy, taking time to reflect on the breadth of Christ’s work on our behalf on the cross. The form reflects what many other churches use on a weekly basis: Creed, Sursum Corda, Doxology, Eucharistic Prayer, Lord’s Prayer, Words of Institution. Two elements (Doxology and Lord’s Prayer) are normally placed earlier in the service at Grace, right after the call to worship. Why should these elements of content be placed elsewhere in the service?

Most elements of worship don’t have a solitary theme or emphasis. They are more nuanced than having a single application for the worshiper (think about how the words of a hymn are experienced differently when backed with a full band arrangement versus just an acoustic guitar). Placing the Dox/LP at the start of the service emphasizes God’s character (“hallowed by your name”). Placing them during the celebration of the Lord’s Supper emphasizes the response to God’s mercy and provision in Christ’s work on our behalf (e.g. asking God to provide “our daily bread” takes on a unique meaning when we are sitting at the Lord’s Table).

John Frame reflects on this:

“There is no passage or principle in Scripture that dictates one invariable order of events in worship.… Consider the doxology. Some writers are very confident that they know the place in worship where the doxology truly ‘belongs.’ But the doxology is an expression of praise to God that simultaneously calls all creatures in heaven and on earth to praise him. Surely there are many places in worship where the doxology is appropriate, not just one or two. Consider how the apostle Paul in his letters breaks off his arguments in the oddest places to insert doxologies–as in Romans 1:25 and 2 Corinthians 11:31.

A recovery of biblical flexibility here can bring a new freshness to our worship, and freshness increases intelligibility, the power of our communication of God’s word.”

John Frame, Worship in Spirit and Truth, 71-72

What other places do you think that the Doxology or Lord’s Prayer be can used in worship? What about other aspects of worship, can they be moved as well?

June has been crazy hectic. I have some things brewing that I'm going to post here, but in the meantime, I'll post what someone else has already said better.

Part of my recent work has been for our Worship Team Sunday School class; quick teaching bits with a good bit of discussion. Recently I've been talking about how idolatry can sneak into our worship. This week we're talking about Worship Styles, so please pray for me as I prepare to touch this extremely sensitive wound in the Church today; pray that I might lend ointment to our discussion and not lemon juice.
I've been reading Bob Kauflin's blog a lot recently; his posts have gotten me started on a number of Sunday School lessons already. This past week he talked about that great debate about using the dreaded "personal pronoun" in our worship. In response he talks about the objective, subjective, and reflective aspects of our worship. You can read the whole post yourself, but here's a pithy remark to end my post:

A lot of times I see churches react to a perceived imbalance and end up being unbalanced themselves - either all emotion or all theology. God wants us to enjoy both. Our songs should reflect the passionate God-centeredness of the Psalms, filled with emotion, struggle, and personal language, but leaving no doubt as to the Creator-Redeemer around whom everything revolves. Praise God, there are an increasing number of songs, both old and new, that help us the balance in tension.